HIGHLY-CHARGED emotions dominated the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival as Hardy Eustace denied a popular win for favourite Rooster Booster in the Champion Hurdle.

HIGHLY-CHARGED emotions dominated the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival as Hardy Eustace denied a popular win for favourite Rooster Booster in the Champion Hurdle.

Hardy Eustace won at the festival last year in the hands of the late Kieran Kelly, but he was the forgotten horse of yesterday's race and started at 33-1.

An extremely well-liked and gifted young rider, Kelly died after a fall at Kilbeggan last August and would no doubt have been in the saddle this time.

His absence was a reminder of the constant dangers which surround the sport.

Winning trainer Dessie Hughes said, "I feel sorry for Kieran, and we won't forget him. But maybe he had a hand in this result. I would like to think so."

The race panned out as well as Rooster Booster's supporters could have expected.

Last of the 14 runners in the early stages, a second consecutive victory in the race looked on the cards when Richard Johnson brought the gallant grey through to seize the lead from the front-running Hardy Eustace as the pair touched down over the final flight.

But the acceleration that Rooster Booster had shown when taking the hurdling crown 12 months ago suddenly seemed to be lacking as the winner regained the advantage and pulled away again under Conor O'Dwyer to win by five lengths.

Intersky Falcon, ridden with considerable patience by Liam Cooper, stayed on to take third place, just ahead of French hope Foreman.

Punters could be forgiven for ruling the winner out of calculations even though he had landed the Royal & SunAlliance Novices 12 months ago.

Only days earlier, the seven-year-old had been an intended runner in the Coral Cup over two miles five furlongs. But having weighed up the entries for both races, Hughes opted to go for glory and the #130,470 first prize of the Champion Hurdle.

"I had a good chat with myself on Saturday night and decided that he had as good a chance in this race as in any other," he explained. "He is a Grade One horse - he has proven that enough times before now. And the other factor was that I have always said that you need a horse who stays the SunAlliance trip to win the Champion.

"When Rooster Booster drew alongside I did think that he might do us for foot, but Conor hadn't really asked him for his effort yet and I hoped that there might be more to come."

Jockey O'Dwyer added, "I can't describe it, fantastic, especially with the Kieran situation, it just makes it all the more emotional."

Rooster Booster's trainer Philip Hobbs was magnanimous in defeat, "There are no excuses today. Hardy Eustace is a very good horse.

"We ran well but just met a better horse on the day. He was brilliant all the way, making no mistakes, which he can sometimes, but when he got there he just wasn't good enough.

"I was actually pleased when I saw that the winner was running in this event as I hoped he would set a good pace for us."

Second-favourite Rigmarole proved the biggest disappointment on a bad day for trainer Paul Nicholls as he faded to finish a well-beaten 10th.